Crawford authorities arrest five in Bush protest

[icymist]

Crawford authorities arrest five in Bush protest

By MIKE ANDERSON Tribune-Herald staff writer

CRAWFORD — Authorities arrested five protesters Saturday who were among a group of about 100 in Crawford attempting to demonstrate on the road leading to the Western White House. President Bush and Australian Prime Minister John Howard had spent Friday and Saturday in meetings and relaxing at the ranch.

The group had traveled to Central Texas in a caravan of about 30 vehicles after an Austin rally protesting the policies of the Bush administration. The group was a conglomeration of several smaller groups with disparate beefs with the federal government on issues from workers' rights to the environment. All, though, were set to protest the recent war in Iraq.

The caravan arrived in Crawford about 7 p.m., coming to a stop when it reached a line of about 35 officers blocking Prairie Chapel Road at the city limits. Though Bush was at the ranch at the time, Howard had left hours earlier.

The group parked its vehicles and got out, carrying signs with such slogans as "Give Peace a Chance" and "Impeach Bush." Some participants carried coffins fashioned out of black-painted cardboard, filled with stuffed animals, covered in red dye to simulate blood.

Though most of the protesters appeared to be in their 20s, a few of them were old enough to have participated in the demonstrations of the 1960s.

Across the intersection stood officers with the McLennan County Sheriff's Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety and Crawford police. Many of the officers held plastic restraints used to bind wrists during arrests.

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/1218

[ogradda]

1. And they were arrested for, what exactly?

It's not illegal to protest last I checked.

[icymist]

2. For not having a permit to protest. eom

[progressivebydesign]

4. Since when do you need a permit to protest along a public road? n/t

[nosmokes]

9. hell, the SS told folks not to look out their own windows

the other day when the bushole was driving through town out to his ranch. a man's home is his castle, er, cell, huh?

[merwin]

11. Isn't the right to peacefully assemble something that is guaranteed

by the constitution?

[il_lilac]

12. Constitution?

Do we still have one of those?

[Hekate]

16. Can't block traffic. Permitting process varies by locale.

That about sums up my experience on the Central Coast (Calif).

In Santa Barbara up to 75 people can march on the sidewalk for any reason, assuming you don't break any laws. Above that number you start to need permits. Using the street is special because of automobile traffic -- you start getting into issues like having cops direct the traffic, and placement of temporary barricades at cross streets, all of which costs the city money. We've been very very fortunate that the local authorities worked with us, and we worked with them, to keep our costs way down.

In San Luis Obispo the city government was passing along ALL the costs to the protestors, including overtime pay for traffic cops, which meant they couldn't have nearly as many marches as we did a few years ago. And in many ways they are a progressive community.

So sure, we have the right to peaceably assemble, but local ordinances and officials can make it easy or make it hard, or even make it well-nigh impossible. Where do you think the SS and the local sheriffs of Crawford come down on the issue?

Camping out on or by the road to the Ranch, or having a sit-down on the road, or yelling, could all constitute civil disobedience. Which I think is fine, and that applause you hear is from me -- but as film from the Civil Rights era amply demonstrates, a lot of civilly-disobedient folks could get arrested or hurt, and in the Bush Era, a lot of folks already have.

I truly admire Cindy Sheehan. I remember the first time she came to Arlington West with her family. I thought Vacaville to SB was a long way to travel -- and she has travelled so much further since then. Bless her and her family for their raw courage.

Hekate

[napi21]

3. Wonder if it's possible to get a permit? Nobody can get into a Shrub

town hall meeting if they have a "unacceptable bumper sticker" so what makes you think someone can get a permit to protest?

[cliss]

5. I wonder if they're going to arrest all 100...

because these folks seem determined. They've vowed to stay until Bush the maggot surfaces from his Ranch.

Just imagine that: they arrest the mother of a killed soldier and throw her in jail. How is that going to look?

Cindy Sheehan is going to be radioactive for them, and they're trapped like the rats they are. They can't arrest her, and they are probably afraid to draw too much attention to this whole ugly issue.

Check mate, George.

[Karmakaze]

6. Check out the propaganda...

The author calls Bush's ranch "The Western White House" WITHOUT the quotes, as thought that is its official title.

Later the author refers to the "recent war in Iraq" as though the war is over and thus in the past.

Subtle.

[icymist]

7. Link of this story at the Waco Tribune-Herald

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/newsfd/auto/feed/news/2003/05/04/1052025091.00303.7022.4002.html

[I_Make_Mistakes]

8. Here in the Philly area

Cindy made the local news!! This is not going to go away. The more they (WH) press the more they are creating a BIG story.

They are too arrogant to firgure out, they are their worst night mare.

[icymist]

13. This is old news folks. Nothing's happened at Crawford this weekend.

Sorry for the mixup. When I saw the date at DSM, it was dated tonight, but the Waco URL dates it at May, 2003. False alarm.

[BenDavid]

10. Sept. 24th,2005

To all that live near Washington D.C. I respectfully request that you makes plans to come to D.C. on this date and join in the, I hope the biggest protest ever.
We which write our comments about this lame ass administration and all the bad, the evil it is doing and in all reality making us less safe, then I say give your fingers a rest and give your voice a chance to express what other-wise your would be writing.... So....
Join the tens of thousands on September24 Who Will Call for Impeachment and an end to the war.....
Gather at the White House at 12 noon

BIG Protest March

March On Washington
September 24th
End the War ON Iraq....
United for Peace & Justice

[zalinda]

14. I would suggest that every week

you or someone post an update on travel arrangements for the protest. If people know where to go, more will go. We have new people joining all the time and so it's something that should be ongoing.

zalinda

[uppityperson]

15. IS THIS 2 YR OLD NEWS?

sorry for the yell, but the wacotrib article dates 5/4/03 and the afterdowningstreet dates 8/7/05 and they are the same article. If it is old news, please ask mods to delete as there is enough current news for now. Thanks.

[icymist]

17. Yes. I found recently that we got bamboolzed here.

Somehow the Downing Street Memo site posted this in their column, dating it tonight. It seems to me that someone is playing dirty tricks to lib sites, protraying old news on related subjects as new. I'm going to do something here that GWB never would do...admit I made a mistake.

[Terre]

18. I can see how you would have initially thought this

so you can't be to blame, but it does pay to check thoroughly first - just in case.

What surprises me more is that David Swanson would not check it out first before posting it.

[jarab]

19. Locking -

At the author's request.